ASTHO Breastfeeding State Learning Community

ASTHO, with CDC’s support, is working with health
agencies from 18 states and the District of Columbia to increase breastfeeding through a virtual learning community focused on 1) increasing practices supportive of breastfeeding in birthing facilities; 2) improving access to professional and peer support for breastfeeding; and 3) ensuring workplace compliance with the federal lactation accommodation law. The state teams are partnering across maternal child health, chronic disease, WIC, and state breastfeeding coalitions to implement best practices and evidence-based policies to improve breastfeeding promotion and support.

To facilitate learning across states, ASTHO is leveraging the breastfeeding learning community network to connect state partners in similar roles and share successful examples of breastfeeding promotion and support. The calls have featured presentations from a variety of states and national experts. The presentation portions of the call recordings are available below:

Learning Session #3 (Year 4: April 10, 2018) features a presentation by Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere and Healthy Arkansans Active initiative on breastfeeding support. The presentations describes key strategies implemented in the both the Initiatives. It also highlights unique practices to engage fathers in breastfeeding support and how partnerships can be leveraged to promote breastfeeding.

Learning Session #2 (Year 4: February 8, 2018) features a presentation by Susan Gutierrez on improving care by partnering with Perinatal Collaboratives. The presentation highlights the importance of partnering with state perinatal collaborative to improve breastfeeding rates. Kelly Vrablic (IL) and Ryan C. Everett (OH) also provide an overview of innovative project aims and strategies to improve breastfeeding rates in their states [access slide deck].

Learning Session #4 (Year 3: May 16, 2017) features a presentation from Lindsey Dermid-Gray on tele-lactation successes and lessons learned in Nevada. The presentation describes the features of the PACIFY Smartphone App that was utilized in WIC clinics in the state of Nevada.

Learning Session #3 (Year 3: March 2, 2017) features a presentation from Dr. Naomi K. Tepper, Dr. Alison Stuebe, and Dr. Amy Bryant on the Safety of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception among breastfeeding women. The presentation highlights the importance of breastfeeding and immediate postpartum contraception. It also provides recommendations for different types of contraception methods and related complications. Dr. Stuebe and Dr. Bryant discuss the ethical considerations of advocacy and clinical care including shared decision making and decision support.

Learning Session #2 (Year 3: December 6, 2016) features a presentation from Dr. Marion Rice and Dr. Naomi Bar-Yam on the future of milk banking in the United States. The presentation highlights the history of milk banking, HMBANA’s role in providing safe human milk, and existing and emerging public policy related to banked human milk [access slide deck].

Learning Session #1 (December 1, 2014)features three states' approaches to increase breastfeeding friendly hospitals in Iowa, expand breastfeeding support among low-income women of color in New York, and develop an infant-friendly worksite designation program in North Dakota. The United States Breastfeeding Committee also discusses how a state breastfeeding coalition can effectively partner with their state health agency.

Learning Session #2 (February 11, 2015)features a presentation from Connecticut describing their comprehensive, cost-effective approach to support breastfeeding, shares resources and tips for success to support work across the three learning community topic areas. Participating states were also able to separate into smaller groups to discuss Hospital Maternity Practices and Peer & Professional/Workplace Support.

Learning Community TA Call: Supporting Breastfeeding in the Workplace (February 20, 2015)features a dynamic presentation from CDC about the requirements and application of the federal lactation accommodation law and enforcement, as well as an overview of CDC’s recommended strategies to support breastfeeding in the workplace. New Mexico and Vermont also provide an overview of their project aims and strategies to improve workplace support for this project.

Learning Session #3 (March 31, 2015)features a presentation from NACCHO about how they are reaching out to local communities to increase breastfeeding among minorities and underserved populations. Texas also provides an overview of their initiative to increase workplace support through policy implementation and a comprehensive employer resource guide.

Learning Session #4 (May 19, 2015)features a presentation from the Director of the Delaware Division of Public Health, Karyl Rattay, the past chair of the state breastfeeding coalition, and state health department staff on breastfeeding support across the agency and key partnerships including lessons learned from working with the coalition. A selection of states (AL, DC, IL, LA, ND, VT) also presented successes they have achieve through this project that they aim to sustain and spread moving forward [access slide deck].

Learning Session #1 (Year 2: September 10, 2015) features state successes, experiences, challenges, outcomes, and lessons learned from year 1 of the Learning community as well as a kick off of the second year of the learning community. CDC provides an update on strategies for increasing breastfeeding. The USBC presents on Health Equity in Breastfeeding promotion and support [access slide deck].

Learning Session #2 (Year 2: December 1, 2015)features a presentation from Oklahoma and Louisiana on breastfeeding coalition partnerships as well as an Ohio presentation on engaging hospital associations in breastfeeding initiatives. Breastfeeding State teams presented updates on key action steps taken since the September Learning Session [access slide deck].

Learning Session #3 (Year 2: March 1, 2016) features a presentation from New Mexico on workplace support and a presentation from the District of Columbia on peer and professional support. Breastfeeding State teams presented updates on key action steps taken since the December Learning Session [access slide deck].

Learning Session #4 (Year 2: May 3, 2016) features a presentation from Atyya Chaudhry and Megan Phillippi from the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) on the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Breastfeeding Support. States also presented their successes to round out the second year of the breastfeeding learning community [access slide deck].